One of the most common excuses I hear from people for not eating healthier foods is often the price. And it's a freaking good excuse since fresh foods are often still more expensive than pasta, rice and bottled sauces - making many people more resistant to eating a healthier diet.
Yet, I wouldn't be writing you this email today, working as a Holistic Heath Coach and regularly celebrating new milestones on my own health journey if I would have given up whenever things weren't easy. But I want to make it as easy as possible for you.
So here are my 11 tips for saving money on your health food path:
1. COMPARING PRICES
If you usually buy all your produce in just one place, you might be surprised how greatly the prices can differ from store to store. Note down the prices for your most common goods and compare them among the available suppliers. Maybe you even have a local co-op in your area where you benefit from buying bigger quantities collectively.
2. SECOND CHANCE
Always stop by the second choice section and save those fruits and veggies from the waste bin. Oftentimes the produce just has a few minor blemishes without impacting the quality. Or the fruits are put aside by people who have little knowledge about the perfect ripeness and they turn out to be just right for your next smoothie. If your local store doesn't sort out second choice produce, be proactive and ask for any discounted produce they might have available in their storage.
3. ORGANIC OR NOT
I usually buy 90% of my food organic, yet this might not be a feasible option for every location and budget. And that's totally fine. If you need a compromise, try at least to buy greens and herbs organic, along with those foods that you won't peel like tomatoes, bell peppers or strawberries. For any conventional food you buy, soak it in warm water and a bit of natural soap for 5min and rinse it off before using - to reduce the toxins on the surface.
4. MORE FOR LESS
Especially for staples like bananas, I usually negotiate a lower price with my suppliers since I tend to buy around 30 kilos every week together with my partner. This makes this lifestyle much more affordable for me and the farmers are more than glad to give me a better price since this is an easy weekly sell for them.
5. FREEZE IT UP
And whenever you get a large amount for an amazing deal, freeze them for the next weeks and months to come. This is an especially great trick during summer time when fruits are so abundant that farmer's offer them for a much lower price. Seize the moment.
6. DON'T WASTE IT
Make sure you actually eat what you buy. We tend to easily forget that veggie stash in the back of the fridge only to find it wrinkly and old at the end of the week. After your grocery shopping, put everything that needs to go soon in the front to make sure you eat it first. Also learn about the proper way to store your particular greens, herbs, veggies and fruits so that they last as long as possible.
7. GOING WILD
Picking wild berries in the forest, scouting the local area for wild dandelion or harvest some apples from the nearby playground. There are often fruits and herbs on public grounds in our town that nobody eats. This map can help you to find them, there might be hidden treasures right by you.
Apart from that, notice when you see the neighbor's fruit tree stays full - maybe he/she needs help picking and can share some of their abundance in exchange for your help.
8. GROW IT YOURSELF
This can be so empowering and doesn't have to be only an option for those with a garden. Even on your balcony or kitchen counter you can start to grow tomatoes, greens, herbs or sprouts. Did you know that you often don't even have to buy seeds? You can re-grow foods like spring onion, celery, romaine lettuce, cilantro, ginger, potatoes and more. Search online for inspiration and instructions.
9. HIGH-QUALITY MINIMALIST
If you ever bought a cheap gadget, you know what I am talking about - they usually don't last that long and soon after we need to buy a new one. This adds up. And I don't believe you need a lot of equipment to make a healthy lifestyle delicious and comfortable. A high-quality blender is already a powerful step and you can create a lot of amazing recipes with that. Invest in that once and you will be settled for many years to come.
10. TRUE PRIORITIES
Your health is an investment in your dream life. Without feeling good in our body, it's so much harder to enjoy the things we already have and those that are about to come. There are a lot of triggers out there asking us to spend our money on extra clothes despite a full closet, expensive new technology and so much unnecessary stuff. Being really honest with yourself - do you actually spend your money on the things that are most important to you?
11. INVEST IN YOURSELF
Spending extra money when you are on a tight budget seems counteractive at first but this can actually one of the biggest wins for your wallet as well as for your health. I find it so important to empower my clients with the knowledge on where their conditions are actually coming from. Tackling them root cause of your health challenges (instead of merely fighting off the symptoms) can greatly accelerate your journey and create sustainable new results for your life. This way you get to save lots of money on medications, pricey treatment and misleading trends - while gaining great confidence in taking health into your own hands.
My 1:1 Coachings are not reserved for those with a big budget - even with just a small investment you can already get a powerful support package from me that can save you lots of unnecessary effort and money along the way. Click here to book your first session.
I hope these tips will help you to get more for your money and create that vibrant, healthy life all of us deserve!
I wish you a beautiful Sunday,
Anais
